John mccabthy



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MCCARTHY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NORA MCCARTHY, OF SAME PLACE.

COFFlN-HANDLE.

SPECIFIGATION ,forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,289, dated February 13, 1883. Application filed April 1, 1882. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN 1VIOOARTHY,OF

. Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the for Caskets and Ooflins, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact de-' scription.

This invention relates to the class of handles which are detachably connected to the casket or coftin, so as to obviate the necessity of burying with a casket or coffin the ornamental handles which are usually applied to the side thereof, and to preserve said handles for repeated use, thereby materially reducing the cost of burial-caskets and coffins, or, in other words, admitting of furnishing the same with highly-ornamented and costly-appearing handles without incurring extra expense.

The invention consists in a novel construction and combination of the constituent parts of the attachment of the handles on a'burialcasketor coffin, all as hereinafter more fully explained, and set forth in the claims.

1n the annexed drawings, Figure l is a side view of a burial-casket provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detached view of the removable handle; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the device by means of which the removable handle is secured to the casket or coffin.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a burial-casket, and R the han dle, which generally consists of an ornamented rail extending the length of the casket. Said handle being usually connected at intervals of its length to plates at a a, which have hitherto been permanently attached to the side of the casket, the handle thus securedhad to be buried with the casket. I obviate this unnecessary waste by providing the plates 00 a a, a with tongues c 0 respectively on their upper and lower edges, and to the side of the casket or coifin I rigidly secure clips or plates 1) 1), arranged at intervals in the-same relative position as the plates a a; on the handle or rail R, and'disposed in sets of two, one above the other, a proper distance apart to receive between them the plates at. The plates or clips b are undercut or channeled at the back of the edge adjacent to the plate a, to form ways (I forthe reception of the tongues c c of said plate a, the handle being connected to the casket or coffin by sliding the plate a between the clips I) endwise the latter. One or more of the plates at, I prtevide with a stop, 8, in the form of a boss or projection which collides with the end of the clip I), and prevents the plateafrom passingtoo far between the clips I) b.

the latter a latch, r, or other adjustable looking device adapted to engage with-the boss 8,. or with other suitable abutting shoulder on the plate a, so as to prevent said platefrom sliding back and out from between the clips 11 b. Havingdescribed myinvention, what I claim lS- 1. The rail It, in combination with the plates at a a, provided with tongues c c, and.the clips b 12, provided with the ways (1, and adapted to be rigidly secured to the casket or coffin.

2. The handle or rail R, in combination with the plate a, provided-with tongue 0 and with the stop 8, the clips 12 I), provided with the ways (1, attaching-screws e e, and a locking device, r, arranged to confine the plate a in its I described and shown.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name and affixed my seal, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the countyof Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 29th day of March, 1882.

JOHN MCCARTHY. [L. s.] Witnesses:

0. H. DUELL, WM. 0. RAYMOND. 

